[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 29, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S1938]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 113--COMMEMORATING THE 2011 INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF 
                                FORESTS

  Mr. LUGAR (for himself and Mrs. Shaheen) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, 
Nutrition, and Forestry:

                              S. Res. 113

       Whereas United Nations Resolution 61/193, adopted by the 
     General Assembly on December 20, 2006, designates the year 
     2011 as the International Year of Forests;
       Whereas the forests of the United States are essential to 
     the health, environment, social fabric, and economy of the 
     United States, as well as to the individual well-being of the 
     people of the United States;
       Whereas the forests of the United States are owned, 
     managed, and conserved by a mosaic of family, business, and 
     public entities, with the largest segment of forests owned by 
     11,000,000 Americans;
       Whereas privately-owned forests supply 92 percent of the 
     trees harvested for the wood products that the people of the 
     United States use every day;
       Whereas the forest products industry--
       (1) accounts for approximately 5 percent of the total 
     United States manufacturing Gross Domestic Product (GDP);
       (2) is among the top 10 manufacturing sector employers in 
     48 States; and
       (3) employs nearly 900,000 Americans;
       Whereas wood products are 1 of the most environmentally 
     friendly building materials, resulting in a maximum reduction 
     in energy use of 17 percent and a more than 250 percent 
     reduction in air and water pollution, when compared to 
     alternative materials;
       Whereas forests supply more than 50 percent of the current 
     renewable energy consumed in the United States;
       Whereas as of 2011, the forests and forest products of the 
     United States sequester and store 12 percent of annual United 
     States carbon emissions and, with the proper incentives, can 
     increase the percentage of annual carbon emissions that are 
     sequestered and stored;
       Whereas 53 percent of the fresh water supply of the lower 
     48 States originates in forests and \1/4\ of the supply 
     originates in private forests;
       Whereas 60 percent of at-risk plants and animals rely on 
     private forests, and more than 90 percent of at-risk species 
     rely on all forests for habitat;
       Whereas the 14,000,000 Americans who hunt and the 
     44,000,000 Americans who fish depend on private forests for 
     most of the habitat for fish and wildlife;
       Whereas the United States leads the world in sustainable 
     forest practices;
       Whereas even while forested acreage as a whole is 
     increasing, permanent loss of forests in ecologically and 
     economically important areas is expected to increase, with 
     57,000,000 acres of private forests facing significant 
     development pressures in the next 2 decades;
       Whereas more than 58,000,000 acres of United States forests 
     are at risk due to insects and disease, especially invasive 
     forest pests, which threaten the health and vitality of 
     forests;
       Whereas more than 400,000,000 acres of private forests are 
     at risk due to wildfires, especially in areas where forested 
     boundaries and communities meet; and
       Whereas more than 170,000,000 acres of privately owned 
     forests will change hands in the next 2 decades, with a 
     potential loss of the public benefits derived from those 
     forests: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate, in commemoration of the 2011 
     International Year of Forests--
       (1) recognizes the multiple contributions that forests of 
     the United States make to the traditions, health, and way-of-
     life of the United States;
       (2) recognizes the growing threats faced by forests of the 
     United States; and
       (3) expresses support and appreciation for--
       (A) the 11,000,000 people of the United States who own the 
     majority of the private forests of the United States; and
       (B) the thousands of forestry professionals who work every 
     day in the forests of the United States who work to conserve 
     the publicly and privately owned forests of the United 
     States.

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